Author Archives: Helen Duffett

The net is mightier than the gag #trafigura

By Helen Duffett | Tue 13th October 2009 - 1:35 pm

Breaking news from the Guardian :

The existence of a previously-secret injunction against the media by oil traders Trafigura can now be revealed.

Within the last hour, Trafigura’s lawyers Carter-Ruck, abandoned an attempt to prevent the Guardian from reporting proceedings in parliament which revealed its existence.

Labour MP Paul Farrelly put down a question yesterday to the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw. It asked about the injunction obtained by “Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton Report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura”.

The past 16 hours have …

Posted in News | Tagged #trafigura and the guardian | 4 Comments

The LDV Friday Five (ish): 9 October 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 9th October 2009 - 5:00 pm

It’s Friday. It’s five o’clock. And when I tried to high-five Stephen Tall by way of celebration, he thought I was putting up my hand and asking to write the Friday Five. Ah, why not –

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

1. YouGov marginals poll: what it means for the Lib Dems (35) by Stephen Tall
2. Iain Dale for Home Secretary? (10) by Richard Huzzey
3. Would slavery have been abolished under Farage? (32) by Iain Roberts
4. Because homophobia is gay when it’s against Tories, too (21) by Stephen Tall
5. Opinion: A frightening party of selfishness …

Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment

Daily View 2×2: 9 October 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 9th October 2009 - 12:07 pm

2 Big Stories

Widely questioned as being rather premature, and merited more by vision than achievements so far, President Obama’s award is making the headlines this morning:
Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel peace prize (Telegraph)

Less than a year after taking office, Mr Obama won the prestigious award after calling for worldwide disarmament.

He had also worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January.

In an announcement in Oslo, he was honoured “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland said.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as (Mr) Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said.

“His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

The committee said it attached special importance to Mr Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Royal Mail strike – Christmas come early?
And not in a good way…

Posted in Daily View | Tagged barack obama, george osborne, jonathan calder, nich starling, nobel peace prize and royal mail | 4 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 2 October 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 2nd October 2009 - 8:00 am

Two big news stories

BAE faces criminal charges over deals
The FT reports on a high-stakes court battle between BAE Systems and the Serious Fraud Office after corruption investigators decided to press for criminal charges against the arms manufacturer over its dealings in Eastern Europe, South Africa and Tanzania.

Posted in Daily View | Tagged bae, caron lindsay, sara bedford and tony blair | Leave a comment

Daily View 2×2: 25 September 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 25th September 2009 - 10:12 am

Loyal readers, I’d like to start this morning with a quick reminder to complete this online survey – it’s designed to explore the views and activities of the users of four UK Party-related websites – LabourHome, Labour List, ConservativeHome and Lib Dem Voice. The overall goal of the project is “to better understand how and why party members, supporters and voters in general are using the web and blogs to engage with politics and political organisations.”

It’s being conducted by the Hansard Society in association with researchers at the University of Manchester and University of Salford.

To do your good …

Posted in Daily View | Tagged #ldconf, g20 and mps expenses | 1 Comment

The most influential Liberal Democrats: 25-1

By Helen Duffett | Tue 22nd September 2009 - 5:12 pm

Today’s Daily Telegraph completes the paper’s list of the top 50 most influential Liberal Democrats, counting down from 25 to 1.

The list includes new entries by Richard Allan, Lord Oakeshott, Party President Baroness Scott and new Chief Executive Chris Fox.

In the top two spots, Vince Cable and Nick Clegg have swapped places, with Vince this year’s number one.

What do you think of the list? Is anyone missing? Were there any surprises in the list for you?

Posted in News | Tagged chris fox, daily telegraph, matthew oakeshott, nick clegg, ros scott and vince cable | 1 Comment

The most influential Liberal Democrats: 50-26

By Helen Duffett | Mon 21st September 2009 - 10:23 am

The Daily Telegraph is publishing its list of the top 50 most influential Liberal Democrats, starting today with numbers 50-26.

Congratulations are due to Mark Pack, of the LDV parish, for his appearance at No. 42, happily sandwiched between Watford Mayor Dorothy Thornhill (43) and Blog of the Year winner Jo Swinson (41):

42 (-6) Mark Pack

Former head of innovations, LibDem HQ

Mark Pack is a key player in the Lib Dem blogosphere and one of the main contributers to the successful Liberal Democrat Voice blog, on which he plays the part of attack dog, with a constant stream of blogposts

…

Posted in News | Tagged daily telegraph and Mark Pack | 2 Comments

Blog of the Year Awards 2009: The Winners

By Helen Duffett | Sun 20th September 2009 - 10:41 pm

What’s loosely termed the awards “ceremony” for the 2009 Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year Awards has just drawn to a glittering close. As the last firework fades in Bournemouth’s night sky, I’m delighted to announce the winners:

Posted in Best of the blogs | Tagged blog of the year awards, bournemouth 2009 conference, brian robson, costigan quist, featured, james graham, Jo Swinson, mark thompson and slugger o'toole | 11 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 18 September 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 18th September 2009 - 8:42 am

2 big stories

Star Wars – the end?
The Guardian and the Times both lead with the news that President Barack Obama has decided to scrap US plans to build missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. This is seen by Republicans as an attempt to “appease” the Kremlin, which had objected that a missile shield so close to Russia’s borders would threaten its own defences.

President Obama justified the change of plan by citing new intelligence that shows Iran’s long-range missile programme to be far less advanced than previously thought. Instead of being close to developing missiles capable of

…

Posted in Daily View | Tagged jo shaw, john bercow and mps expenses | Leave a comment

Blog of the Year Awards 2009: The Shortlists

By Helen Duffett | Tue 15th September 2009 - 11:25 am

Nominations for the Liberal Democrats’ Blog of the Year Awards 2009 closed on 4 September. Since then, the judges (Tom Brake MP, Ryan Cullen, me, Meral Ece OBE, Lynne Featherstone MP, Alix Mortimer, Stephen Tall, Cat Turner and Paul Waugh) have been poring over the entries for the six categories.

It’s been a big task, and a fun one, to distil so many excellent examples of Lib Dem blogging and e-campaigning into lists of the five best.

Congratulations if you’ve been shortlisted, but if you haven’t: remember that the shortlists are based on the judges’ subjective opinions. The awards are intended to be a fun way to celebrate the talent in the Lib Dem blogosphere, whilst introducing you to some blogs you might not have read before.

First, a reminder that the winner of the Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog category will be decided by a public vote here on Liberal Democrat Voice, so please have a read of the nominated blogs and then head on over to the sidebar to cast your vote.

Next, a plug for the awards ceremony itself. If you’re coming to party conference in Bournemouth, do head along to Old Harry’s Bar in the Marriott Highcliff Hotel from 9.45pm on Sunday 20th September.

Now, without further ado, here are the shortlists: (Drumroll, please)

Posted in Best of the blogs and Conference | Tagged adam bienkov, alexander ryland, blog of the year awards, brian robson, caron lindsay, charlotte gore, costigan quist, daisy benson, featured, fraser macpherson, freedom central, james graham, Jo Swinson, lady schwarz, mark thompson, millennium dome, pete pattisson, peter black, slugger o'toole, steve webb, stuart sharpe, will patterson and willie rennie | 20 Comments

Daily View 2×2: 11 September 2009

By Helen Duffett | Fri 11th September 2009 - 8:00 am

2 big stories

Criminal record checks for parents who ferry children

From the Guardian:

Parents who regularly ferry groups of children on behalf of sports or social clubs such as the Scouts will have to undergo criminal record checks — or face fines of up to £5,000, it was disclosed today.

They will fall under the scope of the government’s new vetting and barring scheme, which is aimed at stopping paedophiles getting access to children.

Failure to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority, the Home Office agency that administers the scheme, could lead to criminal prosecution and a court fine.

The clubs themselves also face

…

Posted in Daily View | Leave a comment

Boris Johnson’s attitude to breaches of expense rules

By Helen Duffett | Fri 4th September 2009 - 5:34 pm

Seems that the Mayor of London has a talent for picking the “wonderful”, “brilliant” and scandal-prone when it comes to expenses.

The BBC reports that Boris Johnson claimed on his MP expenses for a website which promoted his mayoral campaign and the sale of his books:

Mr Johnson claimed the £500 from his MP’s communications allowance for redesigning his website homepage in December 2007.

In a letter obtained by BBC London under the Freedom of Information Act, a parliamentary official told Mr Johnson that his claim was rejected because his website fell “significantly outside” the allowance guidelines.

The House of Commons guidance on the Communications Allowance couldn’t be any clearer –

Posted in London and News | Tagged boris johnson, ian clement and mps expenses | 2 Comments

Chippenham’s double Lib Dem win

By Helen Duffett | Fri 4th September 2009 - 4:06 pm

Lorraine Roberts Rance with Chippenham PPC Duncan Hames
Two new Liberal Democrat Councillors were elected yesterday in the new Chippenham constituency:

Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged chippenham, duncan hames, lorraine roberts-rance and peter dauncey | 2 Comments

Ian Clement charged with fraud

By Helen Duffett | Fri 4th September 2009 - 2:29 pm

Ian Clement, one of Boris Johnson’s former Deputy Mayors, has been charged with five counts of fraud “in connection with alleged misuse of expenses.”

Clement was forced to resign in June over allegations that he used his City Hall corporate credit card to pay for private meals and groceries.

Adam Bienkov at Tory Troll has the full story, including the statement issued by the Metropolitan Police, and a statement from Clement’s lawyer in the Bexley Times who accuses the Crown Prosecution Service of “political expediency” for deciding to prosecute.

Posted in London and News | Tagged bexley, boris johnson, expenses, ian clement, james cleverly and london | 1 Comment

Chair of Plymouth Lib Dems resigns

By Helen Duffett | Wed 26th August 2009 - 2:37 pm

The chair of Plymouth Liberal Democrats has resigned after a dispute with their parliamentary candidate.

From the Plymouth Herald:

In a heated exchange of emails on Monday Steve Barton, the party chairman in Plymouth, issued an ultimatum to Sutton and Devonport prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) Dr Judy Evans.

He accused Dr Evans of making “negative and destructive comments”, and said he saw “two possible outcomes:

“1. You are de-selected as a PPC.

“2. That I stand down as chair, as after 18 months of turmoil and rebuilding, I feel that I have not got the enthusiasm or strength to tackle up to eight months

…

Posted in News | 4 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #131

By Helen Duffett | Sun 23rd August 2009 - 6:00 pm

Welcome to the 131st of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (16th August – 22nd August 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, partly courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget, by the way, you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

Posted in Best of the blogs | 2 Comments

Podcast: The foundation of the Liberal Party

By Helen Duffett | Sat 22nd August 2009 - 1:25 pm

150th anniversary

One hundred and fifty years ago, on the 6 June 1859, at Willis Rooms in St James, Westminster, Radical, Peelite and Whig Members of Parliament met to formalise their Parliamentary coalition to oust the Conservative government and finally brought about the formation of the Liberal Party.

To commemorate the compact made at Willis Rooms in 1859 and the consequent founding of the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democrat History Group and the National Liberal Club organised a joint event at the Club on 20 July 2009. The evening was …

Posted in Podcasts | Tagged anthony howe, liberal democrat history group, national liberal club and william wallace | Leave a comment

By-election results: 20 August 2009

By Helen Duffett | Sat 22nd August 2009 - 11:20 am

Two gains for the Liberal Democrats this week:

Kevin Moore has been elected in Hucknall Central, Ashfield District Council.

From the Ashfield Lib Dems website:

Ashfield’s Liberal Democrats remain the biggest group on the District Council with 13 seats.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Jason Zadrozny says, “This once again shows the Liberal Democrats are the clear challengers to Labour in Ashfield. In election after election right across the District, local residents are picking Liberal Democrat candidates over Labour every time. In June’s County elections the Lib Dems made 4 gains from Labour and now we have bagged the Hucknall Central District seat as well.

Posted in Council by-elections | 2 Comments

Two charged with publishing BNP membership list

By Helen Duffett | Sat 22nd August 2009 - 7:50 am

Two people have been charged under Section 55 of the Data Protection Act* with leaking the BNP’s membership list, including contact details and family information.

From the Guardian:

The list, which identified thousands of people linked to the far-right party, was posted on the web in November 2008. Information included addresses and other contact information such as mobile phone numbers and the names and ages of children in a family membership.

Dyfed-Powys police said a 27-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were charged under the Data Protection Act after a joint investigation with the Information Commissioner’s Office. The pair lived in the Nottingham area at the time of the leak.

Posted in News | Tagged bnp and nick griffin | 1 Comment

Gosport Tory candidate: unattractive women need not apply

By Helen Duffett | Fri 21st August 2009 - 9:51 pm

The Chairman of Gosport Conservative Association is the latest to show the party’s true colours by making sexist comments in an interview for Channel 4 News.

Alan Scard is overseeing the selection of a Parliamentary candidate for Gosport, to replace Peter Viggers MP who is standing down after claiming £1645 on his expenses for a duck house.

When asked whether he would support David Cameron’s appeal for more women in Parliament, Mr Scard said,

Posted in News | Tagged alan scard, conservative party, gosport and peter viggers | 17 Comments

Have you nominated your Lib Dem Blog of the Year?

By Helen Duffett | Fri 21st August 2009 - 12:20 pm

Time’s ticking till close of nominations for the Lib Dem Blog of the Year Awards, so here’s a reminder of the categories and an exhortation to vote early!

Nominate in any or all of these:

• Best new Liberal Democrat blog (started since 1st September 2008)
• Best blog from a Liberal Democrat holding public office (The Tim Garden Award)
• Best use of blogging / social networking / e-campaigning by a Liberal Democrat
• Best posting on a Liberal Democrat blog (since 1st September 2008)
• Best non-Liberal Democrat politics blog
• Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year

To be eligible for ‘Best blog from a …

Posted in Best of the blogs, Conference and Online politics | Tagged blog of the year awards | Leave a comment

Australian Electoral Commission agrees to “Sex Party”

By Helen Duffett | Thu 20th August 2009 - 6:41 pm

– a political party, that is!

From The Register:

It’s official: the Australian Sex Party (ASP) is now a bona fide political party, entitled to appear on the ballot paper, raise funds and even – if they gain more than four percent of the primary vote – eligible for public funding.

This follows a long drawn-out tussle with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), after several members of the public claimed that the Party’s name was obscene. In a five-page minute (pdf) that carefully explored the precise meaning of the concept of obscenity and how it related to the electoral process, the AEC decided that the various objections received to the registration of the ASP were outside the grounds on which a refusal might be made.

They did, however, consider objections that the ASP name invoked “orgiastic notions”, with a full analysis of the case and statute law surrounding the subject.

Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged australian politics, electoral commission, pirate party and sex party | Leave a comment

Met Police to Twitter at protesters

By Helen Duffett | Thu 20th August 2009 - 3:13 pm

The Metropolitan Police are trying new tactics to engage with environmental activists at next week’s Climate Camp in London.

The Met have opened a Twitter account @CO11MetPolice (named after its public order unit) which is intended “specifically to inform the Camp for Climate Action of any operational updates relating to the policing of their event starting on 26 August.”

From the Metropolitan Police website:

If you follow us, you can expect tweets covering some or all of the following:

Posted in News | Tagged climate camp, g20, london, policing and twitter | 3 Comments

Blackpool council in planning and donations row

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th August 2009 - 6:10 pm

Construction firm Kensington Developments has donated £10,000 to Blackpool South Conservative Association after applying to build 570 properties in the area.

Blackpool Council Leader Peter Callow (Conservative) has launched an investigation, saying he is “disgusted.”

From the BBC:

An entry on the Electoral Commission’s register of donations confirms the association received a donation of £5,000 from Kensington on 3 July 2008.

A company spokesman confirmed a second donation was made in May 2009.

Kensington unveiled controversial proposals to build properties around Moss House Road in March 2008, prompting a local campaign to prevent the development.

Mr Callow, who is not a member

…

Posted in News | Tagged blackpool south conservatives, electoral commission, gordon marsden and peter callow | 3 Comments

Ming in the Psychiatrist’s Chair

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th August 2009 - 4:50 pm

Former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell was interviewed by Dr Raj Persaud in an event called the Psychiatrist’s Chair at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

From the Times:

It promised much — a candid, soul-baring encounter between a psychiatrist skilled in the probing of great minds and a political grandee seasoned by life’s storms. Both men have their demons: the former tainted by scandal, the latter one of many ensnared in the parliamentary expenses affair.

The article offers but tantalising snippets of the interview (patient confidentiality?), but content yourself here with such hints. It’s a pity that the Times, who …

Posted in News | Tagged Ming Campbell and raj persaud | Leave a comment

CommentIsLinked@LDV: Norman Lamb on NHS parking charges

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th August 2009 - 2:02 pm

Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb says the NHS is using car parking charges as a “tax on the sick.”

From the Telegraph:

Every year the NHS in England makes over £100 million from parking charges. While these charges do generate some much-needed income for the NHS, they can also cause real hardship for patients and their families. Patients are often faced with eye-wateringly high parking costs, but poor public transport links means that they sometimes have little alternative but to pay up. This is a scandalous and unfair situation: it needs to change.

However, I do not believe that we

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged NHS and norman lamb | Leave a comment

Richard Tracey: Tory triumph or tall tale?

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th August 2009 - 9:20 am

A Tory London Assembly Member wants his party to take the credit for a brief drop in London’s unemployment figures, while the annual results show a different picture.

Richard Tracey, Conservative London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth (and a former Conservative Minister and MP for Surbiton) proudly wrote to the South London Press in March 2009:

“London has bucked the tragedy of rising unemployment – it fell between November and January, whereas the UK as a whole saw a rise.

It is no coincidence that unemployment in London has actually fallen in the last three months, given taxpayer-focused Conservative administrations run so much of it.

Richard Tracey

London Assembly member for Merton and Wandsworth”

In a rather desperate attempt to make a political point he grabbed at the very limited unemployment figures between November 2008 and January 2009 for evidence. The letter was even titled ‘Tory Triumph.’

Well, five months later, the Tories must be less triumphant.

Posted in London and News | Tagged london assembly, richard tracey and unemployment | 2 Comments

Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #130

By Helen Duffett | Sun 16th August 2009 - 8:00 pm

Welcome to the 130th of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (9th August – 15th August 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, partly courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget, by the way, you can now sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox – just click here – ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

Posted in Best of the blogs | Leave a comment

Anne Main survives deselection attempt

By Helen Duffett | Fri 14th August 2009 - 6:30 am

St Albans Conservative Association voted last night to keep Anne Main MP as its candidate – despite criticism of her Commons expense claims.

From the BBC:

St Albans MP Anne Main allowed her daughter to live rent-free in a taxpayer-funded flat, which she said was cleared by Commons authorities.

Her constituency party has voted to keep her as its candidate for the marginal seat and she was “delighted”.

Claims against Ms Main, an MP since 2005, are still being investigated by the parliamentary sleaze watchdog.

The Telegraph reported back in May that Anne Main claimed mortgage interest of £1095.68 a month on …

Posted in News | Tagged anne main, expenses and st albans | 14 Comments

Ian Clement claimed for “expenses paid” trips

By Helen Duffett | Tue 11th August 2009 - 4:55 pm

Ian Clement, former leader of Bexley Council, has been ordered to repay more than £2000 which he claimed in expenses for trips which had already been paid for.

From the Local Government Chronicle:

Bexley LBC had paid for Ian Clement’s accommodation at a BT conference in the United States, which brought together politicians, academics and businessmen.

More than half of the £2,087.85 the council has asked to be paid back was spent on this trip.

Mr Clement, who was council leader between May 2006 and May 2008, claimed £1,270.50 in overnight subsistence allowances for the trip.

Mr Clement has previously paid back £1,220 he

…

Posted in London and News | Tagged bexley council, expenses and ian clement | 3 Comments

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